LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1200, 8 January 1878, Page 3

LITERATURE.

AN APPALLING APPETITE. [From “Tinsley’s Magazine.”] (Conti mi nd ) ‘ But,’ objected Reynolds, ‘do you think it at all likely, Walter, that the old man will not somehow detect these manoeuvres ‘ That you may leave safely to me. Due precautions will be taken to guard against all chance of mishap, Herr Allgut will have three attendants, for whose board, &c , special provision will be made, of course, on a most liberal scale, to make the matter the more palatable to Grasper. Green - lands,’ - turning to the baronet - ‘ you must lend your man Tomlins for the purpose. He is intelligent, and Grasper has never seen him with you ; Mrs Pall’s brother, Benjamin, who is a clever actor, will do for a second attendant; and for the third I shall get u client of mine. It will be the special duty of these attendants to keep the old man from intruding upon the sacred privacy of Herr Allgut’s dining-room, and from inquisi tive prying into the arcana of the kitchen, which two parts of the house will be de dared in the covenant inacessibleto Grasper, under heavy lines. The bait is so tempting that I am quite sure the old man will swallow it blindly—and, if he does, depend upon me for taking care to have him as tight as tight can be. The upshot of the affair, 1 take it, must inevitably eud in Grasper’s utter discomfiture, and his ready acquiesence in any conditions exacted to set him free fmm this monstrous Old Man of the Sea. What think you of it ?’ ‘ It seems practicable,’ replied Sir Richard. ‘At the worst we can but fail And in that case, what care I for the money spent upon it ?’

‘lt is denced clever, I say,’ cried Reynolds ; ‘ I for one go in for it heart and soul. Never trust me if I do not twist old Grasper round my little finger with the tale of my strange patient and his ten thousand pounds. Take my word for it, Walter, I’ll deliver him to you bound hand and foot. Will you give us a helping hand in the working of the plot, Walter?’ ‘I regret to say I cannot,’ replied Grainger. * Important business necessitates my presence in London. But I will run down from time to time, to see how matters are progressing. Whilst you are trying your hand on Grasper, doctor, I will give Mrs Pall and Tomlins their instructions. If you succeed, Reynolds, bring me word at once, as I must see my father about the covenant, and send down the other two parties from London,’ Walter Grainger had judged rightly. Old Grasper rose with extraordinary eagerness to the tempting bait dangled before him by the son of his old schoolfellow Reynolds. He blindly fell into the trap, as is often the case, indeed, with sharp crafty people. Ten thousand pounds in his hands meant an annual income of between two thousand five hundred and three thousand five hundred ; and no mortal man could possibly be supposed to pass the one half of such an income down his throat, considering more particularly that, as the doctor explained, Herr Allgut required only plain living and nothing out of season.

With profound appreciation of Grasper’s character, Dr. Reynolds plied his man judiciously with seeming more earnest endeavours to dissuade him from speculating in Herr Allgut, which naturally made him only the more eager to secure the ten thousand pounds. So Dr. Reynolds had soon a most satisfactory account to render to his friend Grainger. Charlie Slinker was member of the ancient guild of operative conveyancers (‘ convey the wise it call’), and a past master of the craft, an expert picker of locks, most familiar with the humble jemmy, yet knowing equally well how to skillfully use an alderman and adroitly handle a lord mayor. He was a youth of good natural parts, whom his fond father had striven, to the best of his limited means, to bring up decently and educate properly. Unhappily, the lad had fallen into bad company, and so had turned out the reverse of well. Some eight months before the opening of our story, Charlie’s pitcher had gone to the well once too often. He had been detected in an attempted burglary ; at least, there could be but little doubt about the matter. Still Walter Grainger, who had been entreated by the broken-hearted father to defend the young scamp, had succeeded in misleading the court and bamboozling the jury. So another chance had been afforded to Charlie. When the grateful young man had called to thank his advocate, Grainger had improved the occasion to warn him with heartfelt eloquence from his evil ways. He had, as Slinker expressed it, made him feel thoroughly ashamed of himself, and had implanted in him the firm {resolution of radical amendment. He had done morefound him honest occupation.

Upon this protvje of his, Grainger called next day, to secure his assistance in his little plot against Grasper’s well being and peace of mind. It was a good sign, assuredly, of of the sincerity of Slinker’s repentance that he, despite his heartfelt gratitude to the man who had snatched him from the clutches of the law, at first declined firmly to accede to his patron’s doubtful request, and yielded only at last when Mr Grainger assured him on |his honor that his services were required on this occasion to right an oppressed and despoiled orphan, and that it was a case in which the law was powerless to afford redress.

Two days after, Mr. Grainger, the solicitor, Walter’s father, came down, accompanied by the eccentric German, a tall slim gentleman, with a remarkably fine set of teeth, his upper lip adorned with long pendent flaxen moustache, his head encircled by flowing flaxen locks, and covered with an extravagantly steep ’broad-brimmed hat. He wore blue glasses ; a very long blue coat, buttoned np to the chin, made him look considerably taller than he actually was.

Jonathan Grasper, impatient to clutch the ten thousand pounds, awaited his intended boarder and solicitor at the Court House. Herr Allgut acknowledged the miser’s deep bow by a gentle nod of the steep hat, which he kept on all the time

‘ Chentllmans,’ he said. ‘ I musht abologize dzat I gceb on mine hat, for when I dakes him off I gatches gold in mine head, vich indervcre mid mine appeleet.’ Mr Grainger had brought with him the covenant duly drawn up ly h ; s son. Walter had judged rightly in trusting that the glittering bait would blind the old miser 1 o all collateral considerations. He consented to all the stipulations of the covenant, even to the somewhat vague and elastic condition

that he must never interfere in any way with the German’s appetite, which Herr Allgut explained was meant to include all attempts to object to his bill of fare. ‘ I vantsh blane livins,’ said the excellent German, ‘ dzee suppes, d/.ee fishes, dzee fleish, dzee fowles, und dzee games; dzee vedgedaples, dzee buddies, dzee zallats, dzee froots, und dzee tesserts ; dzee coot breat und dzee butter, dzee cheeses, und dzee egges ; shockolate, caffey, und tey; dzee Dutch beer, dzee liqueurs, und best of vine. Effery dzing ferry coot, and ash mosh ash I likes to dake of him.’ And he insisted upon this specification of his wants being embodied in a special clause of the covenant. A week after, Herr Allgut, having completed his arrangements, took up his abode in the miser’s house with his three atten • dants. Grasper had always, at the best of times with him, been a lean hungry-looking man. After a month’s experience of his German boarder, he was worn down altogether to a shadow. livery morning Herr Allgut would sally forth, his unmovable hat on his head, to enjoy what he was pleased to call * Gotte’s freye Natoor,’ and ‘ do bardakeof hisleetell burlin prook ;’ said little collation, sufficient in amount to fill a squad of starving soldiers, being wheeled out to the adjoining wood, in a barrow by his man ‘ Benchammeen.’ Grasper would follow him as his shadow, as Walter Grainger had foreseen would be the case. There had certainly been no exaggeration in the barrister’s description of the German’s extraordinary powers of consumption and marvellous skill in juggling. Amidst acutest pangs of suffering. Grasper witnessed morning after morning the seeming disappearance, with lightning speed, of mountains of precious food and rivers of costly drink. ‘ Where can he put itthe unhappy man used to murmur after each fresh performance. As for the dinner, it was truly awful to hear this monstrous glutton, as Grasper called him in desparing rage, dictate the morrow’s bill of fare to Mrs Pall, We will give one of these scenes as a sample, by way of illustration. v To he continued.')